Protect the livelihood of Australian wage-earners and prevent their lives from becoming more stressful and demanding; less secure and less enjoyable and rewarding. The hot spot at the moment is the reduction of penalty rates for hospitality and retail workers whose time and effort allow others to relax and enjoy their leisure time. Apparently there is no case to answer with respect to the workers' disutility (what an extraordinary euphemism!).

Or is there? They give up family and friends time that the majority of us enjoy on the weekend (weekend 'commonly defined as: Saturday and Sunday, especially regarded as a time for leisure: she spent the weekend camping'). Despite elaborate arguments in favour of the cuts, government services (e.g. Australia Post, local councils), large banks, utility services (e.g. electricity suppliers) and other service providers like private health funds, cannot deny they decided decades ago that there is NO cost-benefit in opening half-day Saturdays. A finite clientele simply trickled in, in lower numbers, over a longer time frame.

How many breakfasts can you eat on a Sunday? How many coffees can you drink in one day? How many hours can you kill [recreational] shopping?

If we allow this ruling to go ahead, we're a sad lot. We've already let too many things slip by that erode our society and local communities. This ruling is an indicator of the social capital (the less visible/harder to measure cost of such rulings) that privileged, well-heeled, insulated decision-makers are prepared to forego in the hope of boosting the economy. 'Economy' might be their best friend, but if Fairness, Justice and A Fair Go are yours, then don't sit on your cosies or sing your I'm Okay Jacks. We can't declare the concept of 'weekend' valid for some of us and not others.

Maybe we should go the whole hog - have a 7-day week and open everything all the time, and rotate rosters that give EVERYONE a 'weekend' whether it be Saturday/Sunday; Sunday/Monday; Monday/Tuesday etc. The entire country could 'hot-desk'. This would certainly circumvent all disutility. We could have everything fully staffed 12/7 at a minimum. That'd really get the economy cranking! And wouldn't Economy be happy?

Seriously, treating people like this is rubbish.

What can you do?Show that you oppose this ruling by:

• signing this petition

• personalising the Template letter to MPs provided or writing your own, and sending a paper copy to your state and federal members.